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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25255786">Sleep Is A Luxury Even I Cannot Afford</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheashireKitten/pseuds/SheashireKitten'>SheashireKitten</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>From the Ashes [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 06:06:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,147</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25255786</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheashireKitten/pseuds/SheashireKitten</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Guilt and the after effects of the fire and the bridges burned after.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tim Drake/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>From the Ashes [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1829683</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>118</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Sleep Is A Luxury Even I Cannot Afford</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Told you it would be quick!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The steady beep of the machines were the only thing that kept Tim from madness. Marinette hadn't woken from her coma in nearly a week, Tim on the other hand refused to sleep. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Go the fuck to sleep Tim, she's going to throw a fit when she catches wind of how long you've been awake." Jason spoke from the door of the hospital room, soft pink flowers in hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I can't leave her like this, she's being fed through a tube for crying out loud!" Tim would have yelled if it weren't for the fact that the hospital staff had already threatened to revoke his visitation privileges for excessive noise before. Dick really knew how to press everyone's buttons when he put his mind to it.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Jason rubbed his eyes tiredly, no one had been able to sleep much these days with Marinette being comatose. Bruce had been throwing himself into "work" like a madman, but still brought in a new arrangement of flowers for her every day. The room looked and smelled like a flower shop after the first few days.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dick was assisting Bruce. More specifically, they were keeping each other in check. The two were out for blood and it was almost frightening how similar they could be when someone they cared about was hurt. Dick had taken one look at Marinette's small body covered in tubes and gauze and nearly jumped out the window to run away from it. He hasn't visited since but would send chocolates and macarons for when she wakes up, </span>
  <em>
    <span>if she pulled through</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Jason shook his head, trying to cover the voice in his head that whispered that she would never wake up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim sat resolutely at Marinette's bedside, his eyes were red and glassy as he stared at her face as though it held all the answers. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't make me knock you out Tim. Just go take a nap on the couch, I'll keep watch."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim seemed to consider it for a moment before looking into Jason's eyes. "If something changes, you wake me up."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Scout's honor." Jason lifted his hand in a mock salute. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You were never a Boy Scout Jason."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Fine, bird's honor then, just go the fuck to sleep." Jason started arranging the flowers on the side table as Tim spoke to Marinette in the most gentle tone he had ever heard from his caffeine addicted brother. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll be right here when you wake Nette," Tim leaned over and dropped a kiss onto her forehead.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason watched as he straightened and went to lay on the too short loveseat that was in the room for overnight visitors. He was out in seconds. Jason finished arranging the bouquet of peonies that he had brought in and took the now-free seat next to the hospital bed. He had quickly become accustomed to speaking to her still form, mostly about the family, minus Damian of course.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey cupcake. I know you're probably still tired, hell we all are, but we need you here.  Dads going crazy, Dickie's following him off the deep end, and Tim-." He paused for a moment, wondering how much she could hear and understand, debating if it would be a breach in trust to tell her how much Tim had been suffering without her. "If you could see Tim now you'd probably throttle him into a pulp just so he would get some proper rest." Jason tried to tease but the feeling fell flat, he cleared his throat, the tears in his eyes threatening to fall onto the unnaturally white sheets of the bed. "Look, I know I owe you too many favors already sweetheart, but please try and open your eyes for me," he clutched at the stiff sheet that was laid over her. "For us." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The room was quiet except for the steady beeping of the heart monitor, keeping pace as it had been since the hospital moved her out of the ER. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jason sighed deeply, wishing he didn't hate hospitals as much as he did. Minutes passed, until the continuous beeping was interrupted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You really should stop asking me for favors Jason, one day I'm going to collect." Her voice was weak and dry but after a week of all of them begging to hear it, it was the most beautiful sound in the world.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Marinette! Hi sweetheart, just stay with me alright? Do you need anything? Fuck let me get the button." Jason's flustered hands eventually found the button to call for the nurse, all while he was trying to wake Tim up from his sleep as he had promised. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim woke from his sleep feeling exhausted, </span>
  <em>
    <span>How long had he been out?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Until he saw a pair of bluebell eyes smiling at him from the bed. He sprang across the room and nearly bowled Jason over in his hurry to get to her, taking his now familiar place next to the bed and holding her hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Have you slept at all Tim?" She asked quietly, wincing when she tried to lift her other hand to his face, only for it to pull at her IV with a slightly painful tug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hush don't make me ruin the moment just yet." He brushed his free hand through her hair, a strained smile on his face. "Don't you ever scare me like that again."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Kinda hard to promise that with a life like ours." She tried to joke, wincing as it fell flat. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't joke like that Nette, thought I lost you." His voice was urgent, but still soft when he spoke to her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm still here." She gave his hand a small squeeze when she saw how red his eyes were.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm going to go call the family, you okay Nette?" Jason spoke, trying to give them a moment alone before the cavalry arrived. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah I'm alright, Tim's got me." She murmured back. Jason smiled and nodded as he walked out the door with his phone to his ear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim felt his heart ache at her words. "You got hurt because of me." He swallowed the lump in this throat, "That bitch was able to hurt you, because I couldn't protect you." He leaned over her hand, holding it tightly and letting the tears finally fall. "I'm so sorry-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's enough Timmy, it's not your fault. I knew what I was doing." She pulled his face up by the chin to look him in the eyes. "This was all me, and if I had the choice I would do it all over again if it meant saving you all." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tim was about to answer when a nurse walked in to get Marinette into a new set up and instead placed a kiss onto the palm of her hand, smiling when he heard the heart monitor speed up in response his unexpected action.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'</span>
  <em>
    <span>Never again Nettie. I promise I'll protect you.'</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm still writing another part, would you rather get them in order or as the story comes to me? Drop a line and let me know!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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